The choreographer Alvin Ailey died at the age of 58. Here is all you want to know, and more!
Biography - A Short Wiki
Influential African American dancer and choreographer. He brought modern dance to a wider audience, founded New York’s Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and created a famous dance piece called “Revelations.”
He was once romantically linked to political activist David McReynolds. Tragically, Ailey contracted HIV in the 1980s and died in his late fifties.
Quotes
"“From his roots as a slave, the American Negro – sometimes sorrowing, sometimes jubilant but always hopeful – has touched, illuminated, and influenced the most remote preserves of world civilisation. I and my dance theater celebrate this trembling beauty.” (Alvin Ailey)
"“One of the processes of your life is to constantly break down that inferiority, to constantly reaffirm that I Am Somebody.” (Alvin Ailey)
"“I am trying to show the world that we are all human beings and that color is not important. What is important is the quality of our work.” (Alvin Ailey)
"“Its roots are in American Negro culture, which is part of the whole country’s heritage, but the dance speaks to everyone… Otherwise, it wouldn’t work.” (Alvin Ailey)
"“One of the worst things about racism is what it does to young people.” (Alvin Ailey)